The Feast of Nut ~ Goddess of the Galaxy

 

Today is the Feast of Nut. In my modernized practice Nut is a representation of the Milky Way Galaxy. This may upset the original hierarchy of the Netjeru, in which Nut is the grandchild of Ra. But the ancients had no concept of galaxies. Perhaps the only Netjer that would outrank Her would be Atum, or Ptah, whichever Creator deity you want to go with. But there’s no one truth in Kemeticism. Perhaps She could be synchronized with Neith, sometimes said to be the mother of Ra. She would be the mother of all stars and planets. 

Here are a hymn to Nut I wrote:

Dua Nut, Mother of the Stars

Creatrix of planets, comets and asteroids,

Whose love reaches us from the soft glow of the galactic core.

You who take Ra and Geb into Your loving arms,

And give your love to all lifeforms in Your domain.

May your love reach us all,

From Ra, to Sopdet, to every lonely rogue planet,

To every lifeform that exists in Your domain,

From the most complex and intelligent, to the simplest one-celled organisms.

And when you merge with Andromeda in billions of years,

May you do so in peace, creating something new, and better.

Dua Nut, Mother of Sutekh, Mother of us all.

Truly, it is so.

𓋹֍֎𓋹

~ Siamanto the Foreigner

 𓋷𓅁𓈖𓏏𓍯𓀭𓈖𓐎𓏺𓈉𓏏𓅂𓌙𓀀

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Image credits: https://www.universetoday.com/170456/the-most-accurate-view-of-the-milky-way/#google_vignette

Armeno-Kemetic Holidays for February

Above: A neopagan celebration of the Armenian holiday of Trndez

Well Gregorian New Years feels like about six months ago. What a long month. At least we have holidays to look forward to this month. And if you’re looking for a pagan alternative to St. Valentine’s Day I have a couple options here for you. 

As a reminder, the Armenian month of Սրաց (Arats) began on January 6, and the Kemetic month of Great Fire (𓂋𓎡𓄑𓊮𓏴𓂋 , Rkḥ-wr)  began on January 29, and will last until February 28. 

—-

Արաց Նպատ/February 2 ~ Anubis Goes Forth

Արաց Սէին / February 3 ~ Feast of the Sixth Day if the Moon - Hosted by Duamutef

Արաց Վարագ/ February 4 ~ Feast of the Portion of the Moon - Hosted by  Kebehsenuef. 

Արաց Գիշերավար/February 6 ~ Feast of the Coming of Djehuti; Feast of Khnum (two day festival)

Մեհեկի Արեգ/February 7 ~ Month of Meheki begins; sacred to Mihr.

Մեհեկի Արամ/ February 9 ~ Coming of Djehuti with His Spirits

Մեհեկի Մարգար/ February 10-14 ~ Five-Day Feast of Khnum (He sure gets a lot of feasts this month)

Մեհեկի Աստղիկ/February 13 ~ Տռնդեզ/Trndez, ancient Armenian holiday for lovers. Somewhat similar in spirit to Imbolc, an early spring celebration. Young couples would join hands and jump over a bonfire for good luck, a happy marriage, fertility, etc. Powerful spellcasting.  A great pagan replacement for Valentine’s Day. Although associated most with Mihr, being in His month, it also falls on Astghik’s day of the month, which may be no coincidence as She is a Love Goddess. 

Մեհեկի Միհր/ February 14 ~ Feast of Nut. If you want to add a love-theme to it you could celebrate the love between Nut and Geb. 

Մեհեկի Ձոպաբեր/February 15 ~ Feast of the Moon - Hosted by Ihy 

Մեհեկի Անի/ February 18 ~ Feast of the Providing Moon - Hosted by Anpu and Wepwawet 

Մեհեկի Արամազդ/ February 21 ~ Day of the Fight on Behalf of Sutekh the Great One 

Մեհեկի Մասիս/February 24 ~ Sepandārmazgān, a Persian festival for women, associated with the Zoroastrian form of the Armenian Goddess Spandaramet, Spenta Armaiti. 

Մեհեկի Կորդուիք/February 28 ~ Kemetic month of Little Fire begins (𓂋𓎡𓄑𓊮 𓅫 , Rkḥ-nḏs), Rekh-Neds. 

The Majesty of Set is Prosperous in the Region of Djedu-Bousiris

The procession of Het-Heru. “(...) procession of Hathor the Lady of Dendera with Her divine Ennead; stopping in the House of Birth”. [From the calendar in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera]

February 

1. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

2. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

3. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

4. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

5. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

6. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

7. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

8. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

9. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

10. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

11. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

12. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

13. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

14. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

15. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

16. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

17. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

18. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

19. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

20. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

21. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

22. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

23. 𓊢𓊢𓊢

24. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

25. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

26. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

27. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

28. 𓄤𓄤𓄤

For Leap Years

29. 𓊢𓊢𓊢, then next day is 𓄤𓄤𓄤, everything gets shifted forward by one until the extra epagomenal day

Here are the Armenian days of the month for reference: 

Armenian Days of the Month

1. Արեգ -Areg
2. Հրանդ - Hrant
3. Արամ - Aram
4. Մարգար - Margar
5. Ահրանք - Ahrank
6. Մադեղ - Madegh
7. Աստղիկ - Astghik (Goddess)
8. Միհր - Mihr (God)
9. Ձոպաբեր - Dzopaber
10. Մուրց - Moorts
11. Երեզկան - Yerezkan
12. Անի - Ani 
13. Պարխար - Parkhar
14. Վանատ - Vanat

15. Արամազդ - Aramazd (God)

16. Մանի - Mani

17. Ասակ - Asak

18. Մասիս - Masis

19. Անահիտ - Anahit (Goddess)

20. Արագած - Aragats

21. Գրգոռ - Grgor

22. Կորդուիք - Korduik

23. Ծմակ - Tsmak

24. Լուսնակ - Lusnak

25. Ցրօն - Tsron

26. Նպատ - Npat

27. Վահագն - Vahagn (God)

28. Սէին - Seyin

29. Վարագ - Varag

30. Գիշերավար - Gisheravar

Day 5 of the Five Day Feast of the Victory of Horus ~ Meditations on Forgiveness

 

 

“Finally Seth is beaten and Horus wins,

But will that turn an enemy into a friend?”

• Kotipelto, “Battle of the Gods”

In the aftermath of the battles between Set and Horus, Set was given the desert, and two more consorts, the foreign Goddesses Anat and Astarte, as consolation for His loss. Not a bad deal overall. I like to think Nebet-Het returned to Set after it was all over too, but that’s just my preferred version I guess, in which Set has this big polyamorous relationship with all His consorts. Set and Horus would patch things up later in most versions of the story from before Set’s demonization in later times; enough to become the two-headed synchronized God Antewy. A God that to me symbolizes reconciliation and forgiveness. But I don’t think Set’s sister Aset ever forgave Him, even though they will work together against bigger foes like the Chaos Serpent, and I don’t think They don’t want their followers at odds with one another either. Nor is She really under any obligation to forgive Him, truth be told. This teaches us a lesson on forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t an obligation. You don’t have to forgive anyone, even if they’re sorry. It’s your choice.

The Buddha said that that to hold a grudge is like holding onto a hot coal with the intent to throw it at someone. You’re not hurting anyone but yourself. Maybe that’s why I’m not a Buddhist. There’s definitely something to that quote, of course. Sitting there and stewing over someone’s wrongdoing isn’t going to do you any good. But can you let go of the hot coal without forgiveness? Maybe put it in a heat-proof container and store it away in the back of your closet? I think you can reach the acceptance stage of grief without forgiveness. 

I took an ethics class back in college, where I read the book “The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness” by Simon Wiesenthal. In it, Wiesenthal, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, recounts the time when he was working at a hospital and a German soldier on his death bed asked him for forgiveness for the atrocities that he committed during the Second World War. Wiesenthal concludes, if I recall correctly, that he was in no place to forgive this soldier just because he happened to share an ethnicity with the soldier’s victims. Some things are indeed unforgivable. The book invites you to think about what you would do in that situation, and the teacher had us write an essay with our answer. Some people actually said they would have forgiven the soldier. Not me though. This soldier’s victims weren’t alive to offer forgiveness, no one else should offer it on their behalf. I also think people like that deserve to spend their final moments of consciousness thinking about all the people they harmed. I don’t care if they were just following orders. Let Ammit the Devourer feast on heavy hearts like his. I guess I can be a bit vindictive. But it was an interesting book, and it was after reading it that I started to build my own ethics of forgiveness. 

I can think of a couple times in my life where my ethics of forgiveness were put to the test. For instance, my first girlfriend. I was in my early 20s and part of a Wiccan coven, where I met her. It only lasted four months. She had a crush on me for about five minutes and then didn’t know how to break up with me. A lot of her problems with me I later found were symptoms of undiagnosed autism and ADHD. Things about myself that I couldn’t change. But she was always demanding I change, wanting to mold me into whatever her image of a perfect boyfriend was in her mind. I wasn’t picking up on her hints, and on my birthday she was very cold toward me and said some cruel things. My best friend ended up confiding in me that she wanted to break up with me, I didn’t even hear it from her because she couldn’t do it herself, she just hoped if she was mean enough to me I would break up with her. I took it hard. Worst birthday ever, suffice it to say. Months later she attempted to make amends with me, trying to buy my forgiveness with gifts. She wanted to remain friends, and she said she was sorry. I couldn’t forgive her, and I never did. I said it would take some time. Perhaps that time could be measured in centuries. We did remain “friends” for a time, because I still had other friends in the coven and didn’t want to make things awkward, but eventually I cut her out of my life, because even as just friends all she wanted was for me to change, she couldn’t accept me for who I was. I don’t really feel guilty about not forgiving her. We were both young and dumb, I guess. Perhaps she’s matured by now, but I wouldn’t know.

Another person who tested my ethics of forgiveness is a certain toxic family member. In fact, he’s the one who brought me closer to Set, when I asked for Him to repell this toxic person in exchange for an offering of beer. Not that I haven’t had to see this guy’s face at all since then, but I saw less of him after that, and he’s supposed to be going to jail soon, so that’s a plus. He’s an addict, into the hardest kinds of drugs and alcohol. Any time he does something wrong, like steal our stuff or blow up at us or even get physically violent, he just expects everyone to forget about it five minutes later. We’re supposed to just forget it because “he’s family”. Never once heard him sincerely apologize, ever. Even when he is forced to apologize, he doesn’t change his behavior. His mother defends him and insists he come over for all the holidays, even though she takes the most abuse from him. 

I can’t forgive someone who not only isn’t actually sorry but has no plans on stopping what they’re apologizing for. For me to actually forgive someone, they need to be sincere in their apology, and they need to stop the behavior they’re apologizing for. And like I said before, you can’t accept an apology on behalf of someone else. I don’t believe in “forgive and forget” either. I might forgive, but I never forget. I’ll just put that hot coal away for later, maybe it will cool eventually. 

Hope you all enjoyed these writing prompts. I think “Defeat” was my favorite one. Tomorrow I will have another Feast of Sutekh; not an official holiday on the Kemetic calendar, of course. 

𓋹֍֎𓋹

~ Siamanto the Foreigner

 𓋷𓅁𓈖𓏏𓍯𓀭𓈖𓐎𓏺𓈉𓏏𓅂𓌙𓀀

Սիամանթօ Օտարը

Day 4 of the Feast of the Victory of Horus ~ Meditations on Comprises

 Day 4 of the Feast of the Victory of Horus ~ Meditations on Compromise

Art by Yoshi Yoshitani

Compromise, it’s the ideal outcome of a disagreement, but at the same time it’s not always possible, or even wise. I try to compromise as a first resort to a disagreement. It is the Ma’at thing to do. 

There are as many versions of Egyptian mythology as there were cities and towns in ancient Egypt for over 3,000 years, so I’m not about to claim the one I ascribe to is the one true canon version. There are many truths, you can think of it like multiverse theory. But in one version, during the 80 year battle between Set and Horus, there was a point where they reached a compromise. Set was to rule Upper Egypt (that is, southern Egypt), while Horus would rule Lower Egypt. This corresponds to where most of their followers lived. But one fiesty Netjeret wasn’t at all pleased with this compromise; Isis. Now I get it, it sucks having your husband killed and having to go hide out in the marshes while raising your kid, while searching for your husband’s missing body parts. I argued on the first day of the feast that the story was a lot more nuanced than “Set bad, evil, jealous”, but I recognize that this must have devastated Her. But She didn’t have make everybody else suffer because of it, first and foremost Her own son. Anyway, She thought that Horus deserved all of Egypt, and Set needed to be punished. So, the battle raged on for a few more decades. Had She been willing to compromise, the whole thing could have ended a lot sooner, a lot of suffering could have been avoided. She did get what She wanted in the end, Horus got the whole of Egypt. So what is the moral we’re supposed to get from this part of the story? Don’t ever compromise until you completely defeat your opponent? Violence is the answer, might makes right?

I can think of a lot of instances where compromise was a bad idea. I hate talking about it, but have one look at the state of US politics. It got to where it is, at the brink of fascism, because of Democrats trying to pull that “reach across the aisle” crap with people who want anyone different from them dead, or enslaved (that’s assuming the two main parties weren’t in cahoots all along, since they all answer to the same billionaires). You can’t and you shouldn’t compromise with far-right bigots. It’s like the paradox of tolerance. Tolerate people different from yourself, but don’t tolerate intolerant people. “So much for the tolerant left” they’ll whine. They all deserve a punch in the face. I can look at the history of Armenia too. Uninformed outsiders might say “Why doesn’t Armenia just compromise with Turkey and Azerbaijan, the genocide was over a century ago, why don’t they get over it.” Firstly they refuse to admit the genocide happened, and I’ve realized after watching Azerbaijan commit genocide in Artsakh that the number one reason for someone to deny a genocide is because they’re not done yet. Their leaders often say the quiet part out loud, they want Armenia wiped off the map, and erased from existence. You can’t compromise with people like that. 

I can think of at least one historical example where compromise would have been a good idea but wasn’t done; the punishment of Germany after the First World War. Yes, I can see why the allies wanted to punish them, millions died, I don’t think Germany was the good guy in that war (it was a war of light grey vs dark grey morality; other than the Ottoman Empire which of course was purely evil in my opinion). But punishing them so severely and making their money worthless just created the conditions for the Nazis to rise to power. I don’t know what the solution should have been honestly, I’m no expert on that part of history. It made sense to punish them but it seems to me they went too far.

I’ve heard it said that a good compromise leaves neither side completely satisfied. Perhaps that’s how it should be if you want to keep the peace. 

𓋹֍֎𓋹

~ Siamanto the Foreigner

 𓋷𓅁𓈖𓏏𓍯𓀭𓈖𓐎𓏺𓈉𓏏𓅂𓌙𓀀

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